Killer claims lawyer had affair with prosecutor

Michael Anderson was supposed to face justice Monday for killing his ex-girlfriend’s sister but instead he threw an Albany County courtroom into disarray, creating a wild scene as he unexpectedly tried to withdraw his murder plea by making inflammatory claims about sex and drugs.

Tonette Thomas’ family was in Judge Stephen Herrick’s courtroom to finally confront her 29-year-old killer but Anderson said he wanted his guilty plea back, claiming he was high on drugs when he pleaded guilty to murder last month and that his lawyer was having an affair with the prosecutor.

The chaos erupted after Anderson’s attorney, Michael Jurena, told the judge Anderson was ready to be sentenced.

“What are you talking about?” Anderson said. “There’s legal issues.”

Anderson claimed that Jurena had not looked at reports or filed paperwork he requested. Anderson said he wanted to withdraw his second-degree murder plea because he was inebriated by prescription medication when he pleaded guilty to Thomas’ murder last month.

And in a moment that prompted heads to turn across the courtroom, Anderson claimed Jurena and the case’s prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Shannon Sarfoh, were having an affair and conspiring against him.

“These two are working together,” he said. “They sit there and text all day. …They’re actually sleeping together.”